


Rising from the Rubble

by RobynKitty



Series: Teen Titans: Behind the Scenes and Beyond [1]
Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:53:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29917206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobynKitty/pseuds/RobynKitty
Summary: This is a story taking place after The Beast Within where Robin and Beast Boy have a much needed heart to heart conversation.
Series: Teen Titans: Behind the Scenes and Beyond [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2038282
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Rising from the Rubble

While his chat with Raven had managed to lift his spirits, Beast Boy found himself sulking again as he trudged through the wreckage of his room. Though the changeling was fully content with having a messy room, it was entirely different when said room was torn to pieces. So many of his possessions had been destroyed, not to mention the walls marred with claw marks and dents.

How much of this destruction was his own doing and how much was a result of his fight with Adonis?… It didn’t matter. He was ashamed and saddened regardless.

Looking through the wreckage, Beast Boy couldn’t help but shed a few tears.

Plenty of his possessions that held sentimental value were damaged or outright destroyed. He wanted to salvage what he could, try to scramble for some semblance of normalcy… But he was so _tired_ … Tired, sore, emotionally drained… He just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for a year… but his bed was in pieces.

All he could do was sit on his remnants of a bed and sulk, festering in the negativity of the day. At least he had peace and quiet… until a knock on his door.

Without even thinking, the changeling replied with his usual response, albeit with little pep.

“Come in.”

His door slid open to reveal Robin, bearing a somber expression.

Beast Boy’s ears drooped as he was overcome with dread at the sight of his leader. He simply did not have the strength in that moment to endure a stern lecture or whatever it was he had planned.

Robin was hit with a pang of guilt, one of many he’d felt that night. Beast Boy just looked so miserable right then and Robin was certain he had contributed to that.

“…I’m not here to yell at you, Beast Boy,” Robin assured, walking over and taking a seat on the other side of the changeling’s broken bed. “I just want to talk.”

The green teen kept his head low, still feeling a deep dread churning his stomach.

“I wanted to apologize,” the leader informed, to which the changeling’s ears sprung to attention.

“What?”

“For a lot of things.”

“…What…?”

Robin sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I wasn’t fair to you today. I truly believed you were the one who hurt Raven and I treated you as such. You were guilty until proven innocent… I failed as a crime fighter, your leader, and your friend. I’m sorry.”

Beast Boy was quiet, unsure of what to say. Sure, getting an apology was nice, but… the way Robin had treated him that day… It would take more than a simple apology to feel any better about it.

The silence was uncomfortable, to say the least, but Robin could not blame him. Beast Boy didn’t even look mad at him. He just looked… hurt.

“You don’t have to forgive me. Today wasn’t the first time I’ve been unfair to you and… I want you to know why.”

“I really don’t need you rubbing it in how annoying I am,” Beast Boy looked away. “Just… wait until I feel good enough for you to take me down a few pegs, okay?”

Another pang of guilt shot through the leader.

“No! I mean,” Robin clamped his head in frustration, “this is all about **me**. **You** didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just that you’ve always reminded me of myself and… I don’t always like myself.”

Beast Boy brought his gaze back to the other, one ear tilted quizzically.

“How could I possibly remind you of you… and… why would you not like that?”

Robin let out a quiet sigh.

“When we first met, you acted a lot like I did when I was a kid, even if we’re only a year or so apart… You were positive and eager to please. You hadn’t found yourself as a hero yet and would have been perfectly happy to be a sidekick. You sold yourself short, defining yourself by who you once worked with, rather than your own abilities.”

Beast Boy was quiet once more, taking in what was said. That did sound like himself, even today, to a degree. He supposed that made sense. After all, Robin was super cool and he… wasn’t. He gave a simple nod.

“There’s more,” Robin continued. “I… may have done some research on you guys, in the early days. And, well, I learned something else we have in common.”

Robin let out a sigh.

“What is it?” Beast Boy asked, ignoring the fact Robin had been snooping, given he was guilty of the same, at times.

Robin took a deep breath and steeled himself for the memories he was about to bring up for the both of them.

“…We both lost our parents far too soon and were adopted by rich mentors who trained us to be heroes.”

The memories and realization hit the changeling like a truck. All he could do was stare wide eyed at the other.

Robin nodded quietly, taking a moment to let the emotions pass. After all that had happened today, he didn’t want to put Beast Boy through anything more. He then managed to exhale in a slight laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

“And, if you ever thought your real name was a little silly…”

The leader reached up and did something he’d never done in front of the changeling; removed his mask.

“Try being named Dick Grayson.”

Beast Boy’s jaw **dropped**. He never expected to see Robin’s entire face, let alone hear his real name. He couldn’t even take any humor in what the name could be slang for. His mind was whirling with a tornado of thoughts and questions, overwhelming him to the point his mind felt blank. No words escaped him, but not for lack of trying. He let out a few syllables, but couldn’t put together a coherent sentence or thought.

Robin glanced away a moment, feeling a little awkward with the relative silence and definite gawking.

“…I was kind of expecting a joke about how I was a Dick today.”

The changeling closed his mouth and blinked a few times. It took a moment, but his trance broke and his mouth twitched into a smile. He snickered a bit before breaking out into a full on cackle. While the joke was a little funny, it didn’t warrant such intense laughter. Rather, this was a release of tension for Beast Boy. He’d gone through so much emotionally within the past few minutes; regret, shame, sadness, and shock, but the joke was enough to snap him back into a more stable state of mind.

“S-sorry. Sorry,” Beast Boy cleared his throat. “I just like… you pulled me out of my funk there and, like, all my happy caught up with me at once? I’m not laughing at your name…”

That’s the best he could explain it, anyway.

“Hey, it’s okay. I was hoping to get at least a smirk out of you with that one,” Robin chuckled.

Beast Boy exhaled out his nose with a smile. “Well, I’m guessing you already know, but, to be fair…”

The green teen leaned forward, hand extended for the other to shake.

“I’m Garfield.”

Robin shook his head, but humored the changeling, giving his hand a shake.

“Dick.”

“What’d you call me?” Beast Boy narrowed his eyes… then chuckled, unable to keep a serious face. “Sorry, I just _had_ to make that joke.”

“Heh. Yeah. Walked right into that one,” Robin replied, putting his mask back on. “You think you’re gonna be alright?”

Beast Boy was quiet as his eyes wandered over the wreckage of his room, before turning his gaze to Robin with a weak smile.

“Hey, if we’re gonna be better friends from now on, I’ll be better than alright.”

“I think I can arrange that,” Robin smirked, standing up. “I’ll start by getting you a new bed… tomorrow. It is way too late to be doing any shopping.”

“You’re tellin’ me,” Beast Boy flopped back into what remained of his bottom bunk.

“…You plan to help us clean this up after you’ve slept, right?” Robin asked, eyeing the mess.

“I can’t hear you; I’m asleep.” Cue the fake snoring… which soon turned to real snoring.

Robin shook his head with a chuckle and turned off the lights. He then left the room so his friend could get some much needed rest.


End file.
